Eggnog Ice Cream: The Easiest Recipe Ever

Eggnog Ice Cream – About as easy (and delicious) as it gets!I’ve never met a doughy spatula, messy mixing bowl or sauce-covered whisk I didn’t like. My insistence on quality control requires sampling the seasoning, monitoring the mix and rating the ratatouille. I’m drawn to butter batter like sprinkles to a Christmas cookie.

So it came as no surprise after sampling my first sip of eggnog for the year that I had a delicious epiphany. The flavor, consistency and color of eggnog are spot-on with the same characteristics of ice cream custard. Taste buds never lie, and the culinary distance from a cup of Creme Anglaise to a sup of the old ‘nog is a short one.

Because gadgets are my friends, I wondered what would happen if I poured eggnog straight out of the carton into my ice cream maker (a revered gadget deluxe). The answer was simple and quick: delicious eggnog ice cream in about 20 minutes.

While many holiday recipes are often as complex as the blueprints to Chartres Cathedral, this is not one of them. It’s as delicious as it is easy.

Forget all other ice cream makers; this small convenient version (in the link above) sports an insert you place in the freezer and remove when it’s ice-cream-making time. While everyone loves the idea of a hand-crank model, this one doesn’t require ice cubes, rock salt or convincing kids that it’s a fun activity.

Preparation (pour, turn on and eat)

Remove ice-cream-making insert from freezer

Place on machine, add paddle insert

Pour in eggnog, leave 2 inches from the top for expansion

Add 1 T of preferred libation (the alcohol adds a smoothness to the ice cream)

Add clear cover, turn on machine

Ice cream is ready when the eggnog is rich, thick and creamy (about 15-20 minutes)

I challenge you to find an easier and more delicious ice cream recipe. Enjoy!

33 COMMENTS

You’ve made my day, Tom! This looks delicious, and your presentation beautiful. I worry about having an ice cream maker in my kitchen–lack and will power and all–but I might have to look into this one. Meanwhile, sipping the nog works, too!

Copious amounts of salivation happening here. I’ll be making this PDQ except I’ll have to use rock salt and an old ice cream maker that sounds like a 747. If I double the booze will it make it less painful?

What a wonderful, easy idea! This brings back memories of a cooking class I took years ago at the Ecole Escoffier Ritz. The chef made a little dense chocolate cake for dessert and poured a bottle of spring wine — nothing more, into an ice cream maker. Voilà, that was it; an easy and tasty sorbet.

Tom, I forwarded this recipe to my daughter in law, Courtney Jones House, small world, she says hi! Worked with you at Expedia, now she’s a manager with Sales Force. States you are just the nicest guy ever!

Hi Nicole, sure you can add vanilla extract or anything with a little alcohol in it as the alcohol lowers the freezing temp. and makes it a little creamier. I bet you could even try a mild vinegar like Sherry vinegar, or even some port or white white.

You should get a cut off the sales from ice cream makers! (gg) I read your post and proceeded to buy one for my girls, they LOVE ice cream and I can’t wait to give this a try after Christmas! (It’s a gift for them… they will adore it!)

I actually had this very same idea. My girl bought me an ice cream maker as a gift, and upon looking over various ice cream recipes it occurred to me that many of them involved making a creamy base that pretty much sounded like egg nog (minus spices). So I grabbed a carton of egg nog, poured it into my ice cream maker to see what would happen, and found out what you found out — it works. So I had to Google it to see if anyone else had this idea, and found this site.

Just need some flat, soft gingerbread cookies to use as the “bread” in an eggnog ice cream sandwich. Make a bunch of those, stash ’em in the freezer, and save them for the off-season (so I can enjoy Christmas in my mouth even in spring or summer).

I made your recipe last year using regular eggnog and I couldn’t stop eating it…..YUMMY This year I tried it with pumpkin eggnog and used rum instead of brandy…..I turned out fabulous. I love eggnog and pumpkin and this combined the two. I love my Cuisinart ice cream maker…I leave the bowl in the freezer at all times so I can just make some ice cream when I feel like it..
thanks for this fabulous EASY recipe…..

Loved the concept – simple recipe. Bought a half-gallon of eggnog and followed your recipe. For me, the ice cream had an ice milk consistency and taste. As I still had a quart left, I tried again. This time I used 2 cups of eggnog and added 2 cups of cream, 1 T bourbon, 1 tsp vanilla, and 1/2 tsp nutmeg – perfect. Thanks for sharing your recipe.

Nice culinary detective work, Maryanna. I’ve found the quality and texture does depend on the brand of eggnog I’m using, so you are absolutely right. I think your conjuring of a better eggnog ice cream is brilliant. I will try your recipe very shortly, that is once my forgetful friend brings back my ice cream maker she borrowed at Thanksgiving. I believe a reminder is in order. Cheers!

IF YOU DO NOT HAVE ICE CREAM MAKER …OR just want a product closer to premium ice cream……………….3 cups prepared Eggnog (commercial or homemade COOKED custard based eggnog no egg whites.) 1 cup heavy cream..tblspoon corn syrup (will keep ice crystals small) 3 tblspoon bourbon (will also keep mixture from freezing so solid you can not get it out of container. HERE IS THE NEW TRICK….as my ice cream maker (cuisinart) does not get enough air into the mixture put your mixture into the bowl of your kitchen aid with whisk attachment and beat 3 to 5 minutes or until it resembles a chiffon (or melted ice cream…light and airy…) Put in air tight container and freeze… you will have a perfect hard eggnog ice cream…with a scoopable texture due to the bourbon and air you have beaten into the mixture.
Can also beat the air into mixture and put it in ice cream maker if you want to speed the process along.